An all-smiling Sean 'Diddy' Combs has been spotted in public for the first time since Homeland Security raided his homes.
The music mogul, 54, was seen at a cafe with music producer Stevie J, who was named in an explosive lawsuit filed against Combs accusing him of sexual misconduct.
Combs has not been seen in public since Monday when his homes in Miami and Los Angeles were raided by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) who were conducting a sex trafficking investigation, according to the Associated Press. Nobody was arrested or charged, and Combs' lawyer slammed the raid and subsequent media scrutiny, saying his client had done nothing wrong.
On the day of the raids, Combs' private jet flew from California to the Caribbean nation of Antigua and Barbuda, before arriving back in Miami on Wednesday, but it is not believed that he was on the plane.
He was spotted at Miami airport on Monday pacing around a car park but not since then, as scrutiny on him increases after the raids and multiple lawsuits.
But fitness influencer Wes Watson changed all of that when he ran into the rapper at a Pura Vida cafe in Miami. Watson posted the exchange to his Instagram.
"I'm here at Pura Vida by my pad and I run into the man right here," Watson said in a video selfie posted to his Instagram stories. In the video a smiling Combs grips Watson's hands, salutes some people who called out to him off camera and held his fingers up in the shape of a 'L' while saying the word love.
Stevie J can be seen in the background of the photo and video Watson posted online.
Watson also posted a photo of himself with Combs where the pair were looking at something on the influencer's phone.
"Came to just GRAB a SHOT of ESPRESSO and I Ran into DIDDY‼️" Watson captioned that post.
Newsweek contacted Watson via a webmail form and Combs' representatives by email for comment.
In February a former producer and videographer for Combs, Rodney "Lil Rod" Jones, filed a lawsuit alleging that he was sexually harassed, drugged and threatened by the rap mogul for more than a year. Jones produced several tracks on Combs' The Love Album: Off the Grid and is seeking $30 million in damages.
In the lawsuit, Stevie J was accused by Jones of allegedly procuring sex workers for Combs and for sending threatening messages to Jones.
Among other things, Jones accused Combs of allegedly promising him access to Stevie J, a musician he had admired for years, if he performed male sex acts with Combs' and his male friends. The lawsuit claimed Combs "promised to make sure Mr. Jones wins producer of the year at the Grammys if he engaged in homosexual acts."
Jones also alleged that Combs showed him a video of a man he claimed to be Stevie J engaged in a sex act with a man in order to "ease [his] concerns concerning homosexuality," because he knew Jones idolized the music producer.
Combs has denied Jones' claims and his representatives referred Newsweek to a February 26 statement from his attorney Shawn Holley following repeated requests for comment.
"Mr. Jones is nothing more than a con man, shamelessly looking for an easy and wholly undeserved payday. We have indisputable, incontrovertible proof that his claims are complete fabrications," Holley said.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Shannon Power is a Greek-Australian reporter, but now calls London home. They have worked as across three continents in print, ... Read more
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